1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for self-service measuring of health parameters, e.g. body fat, using near infrared measurement preferably included in an apparatus for measuring other health parameters also, such as blood pressure and heart rate.
2. Description of Related Art
xe2x80x9cHealth parametersxe2x80x9d herein refers to such values as blood pressure and pulse rate. These are items which can be measured in a self-service apparatus in such places as a pharmacy. Such apparatus can be operated by lay people such as retail customers simply by following the instructions printed on a unit. The customer places an arm in a blood pressure measuring unit and pushes a start button. After a fraction of a minute, blood pressure and heart rate values appear on a display. The public acceptance of such self-test instrumentation is a direct result of the public""s interest in fitness. There is great demand for self-testing of blood pressure and pulse rate. Demand for self-testing of other parameters is growing. Body fat testing in now an important measurement. Body fat testing is often performed in routine health screening. Additional parameters may also be measured in accordance with the present invention. Those parameters may not yet be reported outside of a research context due to regulatory constraints. One example is body water.
Commonly available apparatus for body fat testing, for example the FUTREX-5000 series of instruments is widely used to perform near-infrared body fat measurement. This apparatus requires a trained operator to perform the measurements. The body fat testing is performed at the midpoint of the biceps, as further explained in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,365, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A trained operator is needed since the proper site at the biceps for measurement must be located and a xe2x80x9clight wandxe2x80x9d must be placed at that site. The light wand utilizes at least two wavelengths of light, and an infrared interactance technique is use to translate the measurements of infrared light into body fat measurements.
Technical literature also shows that accurate measurement of percent of body fat can also be performed at other body sites. Measuring at the midpoint of the triceps is disclosed in N. Conway, A New Approach for the Estimation of Body Fat Composition: Infrared Interactants, and American Journal of Chemical Nutrition 40: December 1984, pp. 1123-110. To provide an apparatus capable of determining this location automatically would be both difficult and expensive. It would be most advantageous if an easily defined site could be found that at which body fat could be measured. A distinct location clearly defined in relation to well-defined locations in the human body would permit design of an automated apparatus.
It is therefore a particular advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus for self-service measuring of percentage body fat by an untrained person.
It is a further particular advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus including means for applying infrared radiation to a person""s arm for self-service measuring of body fat.
It is also a particular advantage of the present invention that self-test of body fat measurement may be combined with automated blood pressure and pulse measurement.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that there is a site which can be automatically determined by a health parameter measurement apparatus so that performance of body fat measurement could be made by a consumer at a self-service apparatus. The site is a fixed distance from the elbow on a person""s triceps.
Briefly stated, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus in which a person may insert an arm into a fixture, the fixture providing a reference location for the elbow, and in which a infrared measurement means is placed at the fixed distance from the elbow. In a preferred form, an arm tube is provided which is capable of accommodating a large range of arm sizes. This range could, for example, be the three standard deviation range for a population of arms. Mechanical means, such as a motor pulley arrangement wrap the mechanism around the arm of a person. This wrapping is similar to placing sphygmomanometer cuff around the patient""s arm for blood pressure measurement. Indeed, the wrapping apparatus might comprise a blood pressure cuff modified to permit body fat measurement. A light wand is contained against the arm in a proper measurement position. The measurement may be made during a blood pressure measurement. The same apparatus may measure heart rate in a conventional manner. The apparatus could also contain means for doing known radiometric measurement through a finger for analytes of interest. Automatic weight measurement may also be provided.